Fall of 2022 the SLPs (Speech-Language Pathologists) will be offering a Parent Education More than Words ®-The Hanen Program ® to families on our waitlist. See website: More Than Words – Hanen Program for Parents of Children with Autism. More than Words® is a family focused, social-pragmatic parent education program for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or social communication difficulties. The goal of More than Words ® is to empower parents and caregivers to become the main facilitator of their child’s communication and language development. More than Words ® makes the most of everyday situations to increase your child’s opportunities to develop communication skills. It addresses the needs of parents with both pre-verbal and verbal children with ASD or communication delays.
Later in the Fall, there are plans to host an interactive two hour virtual parent education workshop called First Words. This will be for parents of children aged 12 to 30 months, who are using less words than would typically be expected for their given age. Parents will learn about early language development, strategies to foster language development and be given opportunity to observe these strategies. Follow us on Facebook to receive notification of this event. Families on our waitlist will be notified by email.
Children love to play and it is a wonderful way to learn language. This is the reason why SLPs encourage play, during our sessions and at home, as children learn concepts, vocabulary, sharing and much more during this time. To the right, is a link for the handout titled “6 Stages of Social Play Development” that describes the progression of play from birth to age 5.
Also provided is the handout titled “Ideas for Play Materials” which suggests toys that could be used for social play (e.g. doctor kit) or play with objects (e.g. blocks, puzzles) at home.
Click on the pictures at the right to see the full handouts and print them off for use at home!
If you are looking for programs where your child can play with you and other kids, Prince George has some wonderful free programs. Checkout our 2022 Kid Connection Newsletter for links to free programs and activities!